Using the Internet, it is known for a user of a personal computer to download web content, for example a web page from a web server. Personalisation of the web content is increasingly being required. Personalisation of web content enables providers of the web content to tailor the web content to preferences of the user as well as personal circumstances of the user. It is envisaged that personalisation of the web content will add value to services provided over the Internet, especially e-commerce. Of course, personalisation of the web content can only be achieved with information about the user. Furthermore, the web content is, of course, provided by different respective content providers.
A number of approaches exist to personalising the web content. Consequently, each of the content providers can typically employ different approaches having different strategies and using different software tools for personalising the web content. Additionally, the content providers can repeatedly request information about the user, resulting in inconsistent information about the user being stored by the content providers. In some cases, the content providers do not possess a sufficient amount of information about the user, resulting in further scope existing to better personalise the web content and hence to deliver the web content in a form that is more in accordance with needs and/or personal circumstances of the user.
Mechanisms, for example Cookies, provided by web browser software (hereinafter referred to as a “web browser”) have been known to be used to personalise the web content to a limited extent. Cookies are small pieces of information sent by the web server to the web browser, for example, to track origins of requests for web content. However, Cookies only permit, a limited amount of data to be stored locally by the web browser. Also, Cookies are not secure and many users distrust and/or refuse to accept Cookies.
Additionally, in the cases of a number of known approaches to personalising the web content, once submitted, the user has little or no control over the information. Therefore, a risk exists that any of the information about the user submitted to content providers can be disseminated without of the user knowing of such dissemination.